[drive_factor]

Searchingheaven ji

Please forgive me before you bear down aggressively I still cant see just what in my first post caused such an inflammation. After all I am just another old foggie, who has been driving around India and abroad since the 70's

Regarding the query by the thread starter, I am only trying to share an opinion. While doing so I am primarily guided by a thought of personal safety, comfort and what is called the “relaxation factor” that is so essential for a long journey. I drive extensively with my daughter and wife. I understand the concerns of the thread starter who is placing safety as a deciding factor. Its a completely different ball game when you are travelling with family. Most of us poor familywallahs don’t always do “pedal to metal” cannon ball runs! A steady 80-110 kmph is good for both man and machine when you have a 900km drive at hands. You can always do that odd 130kmph burst when road conditions permit.

Barhi and Ranchi 4 laning is over & done-with. It is a now a super-fast stretch with normal speeds of 120 kph //...snip....snip....//

A complete 4 lane road is when both the lanes are open for traffic simultaneously and in a safe manner. This was NOT the case when I travelled to Rajrappa Temple (off Ramgarh) about a month ago. Near to Ranchi it was still the old single lane road. Many stretches between Ranchi to Ramgarh were still closed in one lane. Ramgarh town itself is still the same messy bottleneck. You are assured of a thick traffic jam. I am not saying that it is BAD. But I wont claim it is possible to speed along at 160kmph in a safe manner. Please understand- he would have already driven almost 700km at this point from home and will be battling driver fatigue. Combine that with the rowdy evening traffic and you have a prefect recipe for disaster if driving carelessly.

Why do you make conflicting statements? One moment, doadble & second moment, not ADVISBALE //...snip....snip....//

One can walk to North Pole from India. It is DOABLE. But is it ADVISABLE? I am sure the thread starter grasped the idea I was trying to convey. No conflicting statement here if you care to note.

No problem even if he does drive at night. We usually enter Jamshedpur by 12:00 AM.

I will strictly advice against it if traveling with family. Call me a sissy but I have personally seen how ugly things can become after sunset in these parts.

100% okay. Even the Chandil stretch is patched.

Hastily patched to beat the March 31st deadline. Unsafe and uncomfortable to drive. But a minor irritant on an otherwise well laid out road at least till Chandil.

You have a feeling that the Q7 is smaller than the Santa-Fe ???
Santa-Fe is a car or a tank??

Ok Mea Culpa. I mixed it up with an A6 that a relative bought recently. Bring the Q7 this way !

Lastly, as the saying goes the journey is as important as the destination. It not uncool to slow down (take the pedal off metal) once a while and enjoy the world. Its subtle

Anyway HVK ji has already advised the best routing. That looks about right and people have already traveled that way. All the best and safe roads !

[searchingheaven]

1. Respected Sir, first of all, please don't call me sir. I am 18 years old only & it is you who deserves to be called a sir with your experience & age of course.
Though i have travelled JH routes extensively, i can't match your experience.

2. I am extremely sorry for the earlier post which i gave in reply to yours. I was kind of pissed off in another matter. Being quite angry, i wrote that post hastily & let my anger rule my senses. I again want to say a big sorry for what i did earlier today.

3. My responses to your posts in bold.

Forgive me

Originally Posted by drive_factor

Searchingheaven ji

Near to Ranchi it was still the old single lane road. Many stretches between Ranchi to Ramgarh were still closed in one lane.

Sir those stretches have been opened now.

Ramgarh town itself is still the same messy bottleneck. You are assured of a thick traffic jam.

If he starts in the early morning, then i do not think that he will face the same condition. Also he will sleep the previous night.

One can walk to North Pole from India. It is DOABLE. But is it ADVISABLE? I am sure the thread starter grasped the idea I was trying to convey. No conflicting statement here if you care to note. I will strictly advice against it if traveling with family. Call me a sissy but I have personally seen how ugly things can become after sunset in these parts.

My bad here. Reason being my anger.

Hastily patched to beat the March 31st deadline. Unsafe and uncomfortable to drive. But a minor irritant on an otherwise well laid out road at least till Chandil.

Yes, it was hastily patched to beat the March 31st deadline. But good work still in states like Jharkhand.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

Sutripta da, won't that be a little risky as most of these roads are through dense Maoist areas and if he drives an Audi Q7, there might be a possibility of making some national news .
....
I suspect the conditions remain the same. Might be a better idea to suffer NH33 till Baharagora after which it would be smooth sailing till Bhubaneshwar.

I was most certainly not suggesting this route. Nor am I likely to suggest a route I used 30 years back! But was wanting to know current status. Because of Maoist activity, (and local criminals masquerading as Maoists) these areas have become out of bounds for most, and thus most of us don't know anything about recent roads in these areas.

OT: I have a feeling that the OP is connected with the mining industry. In which case he is likely to have far better knowledge than us about internal roads of Jharkhand and Odisha!

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

If one takes this route, a much better option would be Durgapur instead of Raniganj. Reasons being[list][*]Durgapur is hardly 25 kms away from Raniganj and has excellent hotel stay options for a night halt.

Though I agree that Durgapur is preferable to Ranigung, until and unless the road from Bankura to Kharagpur has been relaid, avoid like the plague. In a fast car, he will make significantly better time via Dankuni. Only variable is Kolaghat.

Regards
Sutripta

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Though I agree that Durgapur is preferable to Ranigung, until and unless the road from Bankura to Kharagpur has been relaid, avoid like the plague.
Sutripta

So NH60 still continues to be a mess north of Kharagpur till Bankura? That's very sad as south of Kharagpur its in a pretty good shape. I will also try making local inquiries about NH60 and try to get the current road conditions.

[Sutripta]

^^^
South of KGP, NH60 (ie Balasore to KGP) is part of GQ.

Regards
Sutripta

[sdp1975]

What's the best route from Bankura to Kharagpur given NH60 is in bad shape ?

Would appreciate a prompt reply as I need to travel soon .

Also, is this route a Naxalite area and is day travel safe ?

[gajadonga]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

What's the best route from Bankura to Kharagpur given NH60 is in bad shape ?

I had traveled in this route in 2007.
The road conditions Durgapur-Bankura was in good condition.
Bankura-Bishnupur was bad and we had to travel in a single road NH 60 did
not exist.
From Bishnupur-Kharagpur dual carriage way but plenty of Railway level crossings and heavy lorry traffic.The roads were average to good inbetween.
It is worthwhile coming through Kolkatta- Kharagpur which has better roads
and I think it might take the same time to traverse both the routes except
for the extra distance.
Hope this helps

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

What's the best route from Bankura to Kharagpur given NH60 is in bad shape ?

Also, is this route a Naxalite area and is day travel safe ?

Daytime travel is OK.
If you are already in Bankura, and in a SUV, give it a try, and let us know!
Did Bishnupur - Bankura a couple of months back in a SUV. Manegable, but not really recommended if there is an alternative. But I believe the rest of the road is somewhat worse.

In a small car, I think Bankura - Durgapur - Dankuni - Kharagpur will be more relaxing and faster (except unknowns at Panagarh and Kolaghat).

Regards
Sutripta

[sdp1975]

Did Bankura-Bishnupur-Kharagpur in my M-800 2 days ago. The route is safe in terms of day travel but in very poor condition.

It took me around 4.5 hrs to cover the 120 km stretch. Some stretches are good but overall broken roads, potholes and 4 level crossings make it a very poor driving experience . I'm not driving on this road again.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

Did Bankura-Bishnupur-Kharagpur in my M-800 2 days ago.
...
I'm not driving on this road again.

Hi,
Could you post this on some of the other threads where NH60 (Kharagpur Bankura Durgapur/ Ranigunj) is discussed. Because this road looks so enticing on maps, this query comes up repeatedly.

Pls. include NH60 also in your post so that it comes up in a keyword search.

Regards
Sutripta

[ashish.uno]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Hi,
Could you post this on some of the other threads where NH60 (Kharagpur Bankura Durgapur/ Ranigunj) is discussed. Because this road looks so enticing on maps, this query comes up repeatedly.

Pls. include NH60 also in your post so that it comes up in a keyword search.

Regards
Sutripta

Gents i have a query, since this was the thread for the route in question hence bumping this old thread up.

Sir, Sutripta I have quoted you to draw your attention, in case you might want to add some info, that will be very helpful.

I am planning a longish drive from Bhubaneshwar to Agra and then to Delhi onwards to Spiti valley. Hence there will be two legs of this trip. What i have understood from reading around is that one of the option for Bhubaneshwar to Delhi is
Bhubaneshwar – balasore- Jamshedpur- ranchi – hazaribag- barhi – Varanasi onwards

The google maps shows another route
Cuttack Chaibasa purulia Chouparan aurangabad Chandauli varanasi onwards.

This will be my first time on this route, so one way is to just get on with the trip and see what comes, the other is to get solid advice from the gurus here and be safe and sound ( I will be traveling with wife and 2 years old daughter, car is X-Trail)

Please be free to chip in with your suggestions, many thanks in advance.

[Sutripta]

^^^
If in blitzkrieg mode, use GQ. Don't enter Calcutta.

If you have time to smell the roses on the way, suggest KGP - Bankura - Purulia - Muri -
Ranchi - Patratu - Hazaribagh - Barhi. (This is longer than the other routes).

The other routes 30 years back were quite scenic. Don't know now, so no opinions either way. But even then Purulia - Ranchi (via Muri) was enjoyable, Purulia - Ramgarh was just another (not really enjoyable) transport sector.

Regards
Sutripta

[ashish.uno]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

^^^
If in blitzkrieg mode, use GQ. Don't enter Calcutta.

If you have time to smell the roses on the way, suggest KGP - Bankura - Purulia - Muri -
Ranchi - Patratu - Hazaribagh - Barhi. (This is longer than the other routes).

The other routes 30 years back were quite scenic. Don't know now, so no opinions either way. But even then Purulia - Ranchi (via Muri) was enjoyable, Purulia - Ramgarh was just another (not really enjoyable) transport sector.

Regards
Sutripta

Sir, I am traveling with a kid and she mostly clings to me while driving, so in all probability i will be hurrying up to finish the journey as soon as possible.
Purulia is a RED territory? Would it be safe?

Also please forgive me if i sound like a layman, what would exactly the route will be for GQ.

As far as my limited understanding goes, it should be like Bhubaneswar-Baleshwar-Kharagpur-Kolkata BP - Darjeeling More-Durgapur BP-Aurangabad BP- Varanasi (stay?) onwards

which route would you suggest and where can i break my journey.
Thanks in advance.

[Sutripta]

^^^
GQ till Kanpur. After that the new expressways from Lucknow. (Other threads on this in the forum. No personal experience.)

Night halts - depends on how much you can cover in a day. Maybe Durgapur and then Allahabad. But Allahabad will mean leaving the GQ, and negotiating urban traffic for quite a distance.

For journeying on the GQ, there are others on this forum who are far better qualified than me in giving advice.

Regards
Sutripta

[Nohonking]

Originally Posted by ashish.uno

The google maps shows another route
Cuttack Chaibasa purulia Chouparan aurangabad Chandauli varanasi onwards.

This will be my first time on this route, so one way is to just get on with the trip and see what comes, the other is to get solid advice from the gurus here and be safe and sound ( I will be traveling with wife and 2 years old daughter, car is X-Trail)

Dear ashish.uno,

Based upon my recent road trip from Gurgaon to Patna and Bodhgaya, which shares a lot of common route which you'll take, let me tell you that Google route (via Chandauli is ok). As you'll be driving down via Bengal and then Bihar, expect heavy truck traffic after Mohania toll plaza until at Bihar-UP (Chandauli) border. The road is good though (AH001 or NH2), there are some flyover constructions going on till Varanasi, so a lot of diversions. Allahabad till Shikohabad section is very good to drive where you may cruise at 100-110 easily. From Shikohabad onwards till Agra expect a chaos at Tundla toll (cash only, no cards excepted). Also this is the section you'll be going slow. After Agra, it is ok to drive until you reach NCR where the traffic will rather stop you from moving.

The good thing is, post Agra, you'll have ample branded restaurants and rest rooms on the highway to stop. Please have sufficient food and confectionery in stock till such time you reach Agra (and for return journey as well).

Another point worth sharing is Paytm/debit cards are acceptable at almost all the toll plazas unless at some where there isn't any GPRS and you need to pay cash only.

Wish you a happy journey!

Cheers,
Simmi